Ducks’ McTavish Earns NHL’s Second Star of the Week

On Monday (Jan. 27), the NHL announced its “Three Stars” for the week ending Jan. 26. Mason McTavish, the Ducks third-year center, took home the Second Star with a league-leading five goal week that included back-to-back multi-goal games in victories over the Pittsburgh Penguins (Jan. 23) and Nashville Predators (Jan. 25). McTavish has been dynamic in his last 10 games with six goals and two assists, a scoring pace that mirrors the best stretch of games he had in his sophomore season. The Ducks have won two in a row as they aim to stay relevant in the Western Conference wild card picture, where they currently sit nine points back of the Calgary Flames. 

McTavish went into the season as one of the Ducks’ breakout candidates. He was anything but that in a surprisingly underwhelming first half of the campaign. As such, he is one of many Ducks who need a better second half of the season if they are indeed going to stay afloat and play meaningful games down the stretch. He has the unique combination of size and strength to be a dynamic power forward, but has the foot skills and soft hands to be a consistent scoring and playmaking threat. Lately, he has been effective on a line with Robby Fabbri and Cutter Gauthier. Let’s hope his hot streak continues to pay dividends.